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The heat was unbearable.
It was heinous enough they worked themselves like mules in the conditions of the mines; the collapsing caves taking the lives of some men and the limbs of others, swallowing them whole and trapping them in a grave of rubble. Then there was of course the unforgettable smell of burning cotton and flesh after a new hire fried their gloved hand on a live wire that nobody bothered to teach them about, or the piercing scream that accompanied it, though nothing compared to the deafening blasts of the explosives again and again and again. And worse yet, the hazardous air that they inevitably breathed gave the lot of them a bad cough, black lung, or an early casket nap.
It was hell, and could be just as hot, too. There had been two instances of fainting spells just before their twelve hour shift could come to an end.
And even now, situated in their temporary on-site living quarters, it was still sweltering enough for Silco to wipe sweat from his brow after an hour of lounging in nothing but boxers, socks, and a sweat soaked bandana to hold back locks of dark hair from his face. The air was moving outside, but he couldn't enjoy the breeze without being reminded of the natural gasses coming from the caves whenever the sulfuric smell wafted by. He would endure it, though. He’d endured worse.
“Have you got that damned window open yet?” He sighs dramatically, sinking into his seat as if the heat would actually melt him away. Vander paused his work and looked over his brawny shoulder at the puddle of a man, attempting and failing to give him a patient gaze.
“...You're kiddin’ me, right?” He quietly grumbled.
Silco smiled softly at his salty look, not threatened in the slightest. He knew his true nature. “There, there, Vander. You know I've given it a fair try, as well. If anyone's going to pry it open it'll be you, Mr. Muscles.”
Vander scoffed and pulled away from the stuck window when he thought he'd pop a knuckle or crack a nail. He'd lose a limb in the mines before he willingly hurt himself opening this insufferable window.
“Wasn't someone supposed to come fix this thing?” He spat, slapping his knuckles on the glass and finally turning towards his friend.
“They never do.” Silco mumbled, rolling his baby blues. He'd grown accustomed to their negligence. Despite his bitter nonchalance on the matter, he did hate to see his comrade this way, so uncharacteristically frustrated.
“...Just smash it to pieces, we're better off without it. At least tomorrow we can sleep in our own beds.”
Vander flopped onto the bottom bunk and stared up at the one above. “Sorry. Lost my head, there.”
“Hardly. It's just the heat.” They were both suffering from it. He could see how Vanders body blushed an angry pink and glistened with fresh sweat from where he resided on their little couch, and was momentarily transfixed. Mr. Muscles, indeed.
“So, I've been thinkin’,” Vander starts. Silco is brung back to earth when his bunkmate’s gruff voice breaks through the quiet.
“Have you, now?”
“Really, I've been thinkin’. About going all in on the bar.”
Silco slowly sat up straight in his seat, staring at his partner from the other side of the small room. “You mean...full time?”
“That's right.”
“Don't tell me you're planning on leaving these mines. Good luck.”
Vander lazily sat up in bed and met Silco's eyes. “I've basically already done it...Let's face it, brother, they've been looking for any reason to get rid of either of us. Both of us. They're not exactly fond of our efforts-”
“Another reason-no. The only reason for you to stand your ground, Vander.” He says firmly, watching the large man with a strong side glance. Something about Silco's disposition made Vander feel cautious. He sighed before averting his guilty eyes.
“I can still be part of this union, even If I'm not on company grounds. We still have that lunch planned next Sunday-”
“Forget. The lunch.” Silco snapped, slapping a sweaty palm on the seat cushion next to him. It was a quiet noise, but the broken tension from Silco's growing displeasure startled Vander.
“What?”
“I've...been doing some thinking myself, Vander. Something in mind that's a bit more awe-inspiring than your little community potluck, something that will be actually impactful. Oh, what is it now?”
“Silco...” He begins.
“Don't look at me like that. Don't look at me like that with those pitiful puppy dog eyes like you're not a man made of boulders, like you don't share the rage I do.”
“Silco-”
“They pack us like sardines in these shabby, little hole-in-the-wall mouse traps they have the gumption to pass as living quarters for days at a time, not even far enough from the mines to stop the sulfuric fumes from burning your nose hairs, without out so much as a pat on the back, a decent pay, and goddamned functioning window-!”
“Silco!” Vander bellowed, laying his heavy hands on Silco’s bare shoulders. The grounding touch of the bigger man stopped him in his tracks, and had him retracing his steps. When had he stood from the couch? When had Vander approached him? Silco exhaled a shuddering breath and unfurled his balled fists, waiting for Vanders words.
“...If you've got a plan, you're gonna have to run it by me first.” He said, with a slowly growing grin.
And that's exactly what Silco did.
Late into the night they sat sprawled on the wood floor passing back and forth a flask of dark liquor, speaking with enthusiasm of Silco's plans of grandeur. Of course Vander would still have his questions, worries, and woes, but Silco was quick to silence them. He could be quite the wordsmith when he wanted to be, and he never let an opportunity pass to persuade. Vander was well aware of these charms, but that didn't mean he was immune to them.
It wasn't long before dawn peaked over the horizon, shining through the dirtied window of their living quarters. Just in time for ‘bozo number one and two’ to rise from their hour of rest with an impending hangover threatening to burden their already overworked bodies. They gathered what little belongings they packed for their week of work and hurried to the transport that would take them and all the other bone tired miners back to wherever they came from. It wasn't often they were sent to the caves so far from home base (there had been some kind of accident, and so transfer was in order until those bodies could be replaced), but it was always quite the endeavor whenever the duty was thrust on to them.
As soon as the bus took off, Vander heard a soft snoring in his ear and felt a warm breath against his arm. He raised a brow and looked over to see Silco sound asleep against his shoulder with his lips parted just enough for the bigger man to be sure there would be drool there by the end of the ride. He stifled a small laugh and turned the other cheek so as to not wake him. Silco was never much of an early bird, and he could be cranky without his rest. Vander took the opportunity to get his own dowsing of beauty sleep before they made it back to the city.
“Alright! Get yer hineys outta here, this the last stop!”
Silco was jolted awake at once and instinctively turned towards the aisle to leave, but Vander was blocking his way like a hibernating bear. Silco slapped his shoulder and pushed him towards the aisle, effectively snatching him out of his sleep as well. They both grabbed their duffles and stumbled off of the bus, with Vander making sure to thank the driver before he pulled off. They stood side by side and watched with sleepy eyes as he took off into the sunset. Once their ride was out of sight, Vander looked down at Silco who was looking up at him.
“...You got a little somethin’.” Vander mumbled, gesturing to the dried drool on the corner of Silco's mouth. He licked the callused pad of his thumb and leaned in as if to wipe away the spittle himself, but Silco gasped at his proximity and slapped his ‘dirty paws’ away with speed Vander had never witnessed from the man. He knelt over and belted a hearty laugh, holding on to Silco's shoulder and nearly knocking the both of them over. Silco scoffed and lightly pushed him away, making sure to hide the color in his cheeks as he turned and walked. He was a good ten paces away before Vander could pull himself together and follow after him.
“Are we going to get a drink?” Vander asked, sounding rather chipper and childish.
“I got a better idea.” Silco says over his shoulder.
“Ah, dinner?” He asks, standing taller.
Silco rolled his eyes. “Fine, we'll stop at Jericho's.”
After a hot meal, Silco led them a few blocks over to an alleyway market Vander wasn't completely familiar with. He looked curiously at the vendors as he passed by with his puzzlement growing stronger by the moment.
“Uh, where are we going?”
“Somewhere to freshen up.”
“Like, take a shower?”
“No, like a spa.”
Vander stopped In his tracks. What kind of spa were they going to tucked away into this curious little corner of the city? He upped the pace to catch up with him and said;
“IIII dunno. I think maybe I could just shave the ‘ol whiskers and call it a night.”
Silco looked up at his partner in crime, inspected his face intently, and then gently patted his cheek as they walked.
“No. You should grow it out.” He corrected and then playfully shoved his face away.
Vander considers this for a moment, but just a moment. He still has more pressing questions.
“But...how will we pay for a spa, exactly?”
“Don't worry about that, Vander. Don't those sore, aching muscles of yours deserve pampering?”
“I...guess so, yeah. Yeah, they do!” He says, sounding more sure of himself as they approached what he assumed was their destination. They walked up three creaky steps onto an old wood patio that held together just well enough to support the weight of mountain-man and bird-boy, but because of Vanders grand stature, he had to push swaying chimes from his face as they stepped to the door and rang the doorbell. A young Vastayan woman came to the door after some time. She wore an extravagant purple silk headdress that gave way for her large furry ears to poke through the top. She seemed pleased to see Silco, but when her lively eyes landed on Vander, her tail stopped its soothing sway. He assumed the young lady couldn't have been any older than sixteen, perhaps younger. He smiled and waved, trying his best to look friendly to assuage the youngsters' obvious unease around the large, unfamiliar man at the door.
“Good evening, Lest. Is your mother in the shop today?” Silco asks.
“Yeah... who's this??”
“Oh, a good friend of mine. Maybe you could get him some help, too. You see, he had a terrible accident in the mines the other day. Just terrible. I fear he may have pulled something in his back.”
He looked to Vander as he said this, and right on que the bigger man was holding the small of his back, stretching and groaning. It was initially an act, but in his creative pursuit his back pops like bacon grease, surprising all three of them. Lest got a laugh out of this and opened the door wider, allowing the two inside. It smelled of incense once they passed the threshold, smokey and potent and sweet.
“Is that a new scent?” Silco inquires.
“Mmmhm. Made it myself. With these oils from a rare flower mama didn't even know about. ” Lest says proudly.
“And I've been working on something else, too.” She coos, lowering her voice and her gaze. Silco chuckled and crossed his arms.
“Another secret for mother dearest?” He joked, just as the woman of discussion sauntered into the room. Lest’s wide eyes grew even wider as the jingle of her mother's bracelets neared. She held her finger to her lips to hush Silco and then scurried back to the little front desk next to the door.
“Oh, Silco! My sweet, it's you.”
“Yes, it's me. Looking stunning as always, Laureli.” He replied with open arms, welcoming the warm embrace of Lest's mother. Vander stood there with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the right moment to introduce himself. Thankfully, Silco breaks away from the hug soon enough to do so for him.
“Oh, and this is the district Union Leader and my mining brother, Vander.” He’s buzzing with enthusiasm as he gestured to the man of the hour, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze.
“Oh, Mr. Muscles!” Laureli replied with roaming eyes.
“Mr. Muscles, indeed.” Silco rebuttals, nudging his clearly flustered friend with his elbow. Vander cleared his throat and held out his hand for her to shake
“A pleasure to meet you, Laureli-oh!”
“I only do hugs.” She says, and then releases him from her arms. Then, she turned on her high heels and headed towards the back rooms where they performed aroma therapies and massages.
“Right this way, boys. Someone will be with you shortly.”
Soon enough the duo was situated in a shared room where they stripped down to their boxers and rinsed the dirt from their face and hands. Silco was accustomed to being completely nude for the rare occasion he visited the shop, but for whatever reason Vander’s presence had him forgoing his usual routine. It was one thing to go for a swim or share a stuffy sleeping situation with no AC, but to be so bare bodied in this candle lit, purple hued, lavender scented room with Vander would be...odd. Out of place. He'd leave that notion at that, sitting there just on the surface of it all. If the thought sank any deeper it'd dissolve into an ocean of truth.
“So, how exactly do you know this nice woman, Silco?”
“Ah...I used to watch Lest for her, believe it or not. Before she was old enough to keep shop with her mother.”
Vander smiled in mild disbelief. “You? Baby sitting? It must have been a cold day in hell.”
“It was a quick buck, dear brother, and Lest isn't half bad. No, not a bad kid at all...what is that smell?” He asked, suddenly sniffing the air.
“The lavender?”
“No, no...it's awful.” Silco scrambled for something to cover his nose and decided on a warm towel sitting nearby.
“Wasn't me.”
“No, you idiot. It’s-”
And then a muffled bang could be heard from outside their door. Silco and Vander went still, staring at one another with wide eyes. They stood there like that, motionless, until another crash sounded, followed by a symphony of frustrated shouting. Vander doesn't even think to step back into his trousers before springing into action and kicking the door open into the hall.
“What the hell is going on-” He cried over the shouts, but was cut short when the mystery stench choked him. Silco tripped over his own pants trying to find his clothes, but eventually he gathered his bearings, dressed, and stumbled into the hall with everything from head to toe either unbuckled or unlaced. A petty kerfuffle was growing in magnitude between Laureli and a very displeased customer. A man, yelling profanities and insults with so much of his breath that even the top of his bald head turned pink from the effort. For the most part he was unintelligible with all his stuttering and coughing, but every once in a while Silco would decipher something about an ‘insufferable child’ and a ‘putrid product’ and having ‘hell to pay’. All the while trying to hold a towel at his flabby waist. Vander was stepping between them now, trying his damndest and failing to get to the bottom of the matter at hand. Silco sighed and shook his head at the pitiful development, then looked over his shoulder to see two employees and Lest watching alongside them with her smile hidden behind the hand that pinched her nose shut. Oh, boy. No, not a bad kid at all. Silco excused the two Vastayan ladies as he passed them and then gently pulled Lest aside.
“This is your doing, little one?”
“Eugh, don't call me that. I am not a child.”
“You've got a point. My apologies. But please, tell me, what the hell have you done?”
“That guy, he's a real creep... I had somethin’ for him this time.”
Lest reached into her sleeve and pulled out a bundle of unlit incense that she then passed to Silco. He held them to his nose and knew before he even inhaled that it was the source of this disaster. Silco nearly gagged as he held them away with his nose scrunched and pointing in the opposite direction. Lest couldn't stop a pleased smile from breaking free on her face.
“But if Mama asks, they're defective. I was just lighting them for our guest like she asked.” Lest said with a wink, and then held out her hand for her creation back. Silco seemed to be admiring them, though. She could see the gears turning behind his eyes.
“You know what Lest, I'll buy the rest of what you have. I think you could help my friend and I with our mission.”
“Really?”
“Yes, darling. I'd like to keep in touch. That is, if you're not grounded for the rest of forever.” He joked, glancing over his shoulder at the ongoing altercation, with Vander still attempting to contain the chaos in nothing but his skivvies. Everything came to a head when the wrathful client lifted a vase to hurl at Laureli. Everyone in the room gasped at the violent display before Vander put an end to it. In one swift motion he knocked the aggressor against the wall and then slung him over his shoulder like a sack of flour. The man fought for his freedom fiercely, elbowing Vander in the side of the head in the process. It was a nasty blow, but Vander was determined and already had him out of the door. He threw the man into the dirt path of the alleyway and flinched when he saw that the man's towel had fallen away from his pale, naked body. The employees gasped and pointed as Vander retreated back inside.
“We should get out of here.” He panted breathlessly. Silco nodded and dug into his pocket to retrieve all the coin he had before handing it to Lest. He promised to visit soon before reminding Vander to get dressed and hightailing it out of there with their things. Lest thanked the two of them and watched as they took off down the dirt road. The boys didn't slow their pace until they were almost home.
As the days went by, the duo's excitement for their plans only grew, and so had the number of participants. Many young Zaunites had caught wind of their grand scheme and gathered at The Last Drop throughout the week to celebrate the work of the union and speak amongst themselves of the oncoming ‘revolution’. At least that's what the youngest of them were calling it. Vander simply adored their wide eyed optimism and genuine passion for the cause. Still, there was just a sliver of himself that thought perhaps they were celebrating too early, but he wouldn't say so. It was an easy thought to dismiss with all the contagious joy around him, a positive charge that could not be ignored. Even those not in the know of the duo's plan took part in the comradery and sang along to their song of sorrow with Silco's voice being one of the loudest in the room.
To the mines we march, and in the dark, we search for gold and silver!
He lost his leg, he's down peg, but at least he's not lily livered!
We work long days, but through the haze, we all have found a brother!
Then off to the pub, to find our love, one to take home to our mother!
Ohhh, ohhh, make it to the end of the day!
Ohhh, ohhh, a pretty penny is on the way (Hey!)
At the end of their tune Silco hopped down from the chair he had been standing in and bumped shoulders with Vander. He couldn't remember the last time he’d seen the big lug smiling so big.
“What are you looking at?” He questioned, clinking glasses with the taller man. Vander shook his head and together they took a swig of their drink.
“You are something.” Vander replied, still smiling against the rim of his glass.
“That's news to you?” Silco joked.
“Suppose not...” He cooed fondly.
“Are you ready for tomorrow? Our big day?” Silco sounds somewhat gentle as he poked a firm finger against Vanders' strong chest. He laughed and pretended to be thrown off balance as he leaned back against the wall.
“Hey...as ready as I'll ever be.”
“Now, that's what I like to hear...” He grumbled in good nature, looking up at Vander through his brows with a sly smile. This frisky gaze of his summoned something warm in Vanders gut, but he chalks it up to the whiskey in his cup. Before he can get out another word, Silco is whisked away by a young woman to join the jig happening in the center of the bar. Vander is flooded with passion and determination for his people at that moment.
Starting tomorrow, things would have to change, and these rowdy bunch of Zaunites were going to be the ones to bring it about.
Hopefully.